A total of 193 permits were issued in January, February and March, compared with 239 permits in those same months in 2013.

Because of fluctuations in the building process from month to month, the number of permits issued is compared year-over-year.

The decrease in permits was largely due to a decline in multi-family units being built: In the first three months of the year, only 20 permits were issued, compared with more than five times that, 107, in the same months in 2013.

Premium content for only $0.99

Though the overall number of permits fell, the number issued for single-family homes increased by 31 percent year-over-year, to 173 units.

Overall, the combined value of the housing units being built grew, though only slightly.

From January through March, the total valuation of all 193 residential units being built was estimated at $64.8 million, compared with $59.4 million in the year-earlier period. That represents a year-over-year increase of 9 percent.